WALLA WALLA, Wash. – For the third year in a row, two water recreation locations managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Walla Walla District made the nationwide Bassmaster Magazine Top-100 list of best places to fish for bass, according to information released April 23 by B.A.S.S. Communications at http://www.bassmaster.com/news/introducing-100-best-bass-lakes-2014.
The third annual list ranking the country’s best bass lakes found Dworshak Reservoir, located near Ahsahka, Idaho, on the north fork of the Clearwater River, rated as number 47 the 2014 Top-100 chart. It was ranked number 26 in 2013 and number 85 in 2012.
The Columbia River in Oregon and Washington jumped up to number 14 on the Bassmaster Top-100 list from number 21 last year. It was number 20 in the Bassmaster 2012 list. Much of the river’s natural resources recreation opportunities are managed by the Corps’ Walla Walla, Portland and Seattle districts.
“We’re pleased to consistently offer some of the best bass fishing in the nation,” said Paul Pence, natural resources manager for Dworshak Dam and Reservoir. “Combined with our campgrounds, marinas and boat launches, it makes for a great outdoors recreation experience.”
Bass club and other outdoor recreation groups frequently choose Dworshak for group events and tournaments, according to Corps park rangers at the dam. If your group is interested in scheduling an event at Dworshak, call the visitor center at 208-476-1255 to find out how to apply for a special use permit.
“Recognition of excellent Columbia River bass fishing three years in a row is good to see,” said David McDermott, natural resources manager for the Walla Walla District’s McNary Lock and Dam in Umatilla, Ore. “We invite everyone to enjoy the fishing and recreation facilities here.”
Recreation information for McNary is available from the McNary Natural Resources Management Office in Umatilla, Ore., at 541-922-2268; Upper Lake Wallula information upstream of McNary is available from Ice Harbor Natural Resources Management in Burbank, Wash., at 509-547-2048.
Dworshak reservoir extends 53 miles upstream of Dworshak Dam, with dozens of secluded inlets, streams, rocky points, stumps and long bars creating ideal bass-fishing conditions. The state-record smallmouth bass record, weighing in at 9.72 pounds, was caught on Dworshak Reservoir by Dan Steigers of Juliaetta, Idaho, on Oct. 28, 2006. Dworshak Dam is a large straight-axis concrete gravity dam 717 feet high and 3,287 feet long. Its construction created various marinas, boat launches and camping facilities on the reservoir.
The Columbia River runs about 1,200 miles from its headwaters in British Columbia, Canada, through Washington and Oregon to the Pacific Ocean near Astoria, Oregon. The Corps operates five dams on the Columbia River mainstem, each forming a lake and water recreation opportunities including fishing. The Walla Walla District operates McNary Lock and Dam,which created Lake Wallula stretching upstream to the Kennewick-Pasco-Richland area in Washington.
More information about Walla Walla District outdoor recreation opportunities is available at www.nww.usace.army.mil/corpsoutdoors.
A photographic slide show of all Top-100 locations and their rankings is available on the Bassmaster Magazine website at http://www.bassmaster.com/slideshow/top-100-bass-lakes-2014.
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